Glass Rebar’s Growing Pain

Although engineers have used glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcing bar in applications as diverse as winery roofs and bridge decks, a lack of standards and understanding by U.S. engineers has limited its use. GFRP rebar has many advantages over steel, but there are also disadvantages. GFRP rebar cannot be used exactly the same way as steel because of its different properties. Because GFRP bars don’t corrode, eliminating long-term maintenance costs, and because of higher strength-to-weight ratios and lighter weight than steel rebar, they deserve more attention from engineers. After more than 20 years of limited use, there is now a solid list of examples of GFRP use.